Bottle washing and rinsing machine.



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' BOTTLE WASHING 'AND RINSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APILZQ, 1910. 1,035,330, Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

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BOTTLE WASHING AND RINSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22, 1910.

Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

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BOTTLE WASHING AND RINSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APE.22. 1910.

1,035,330. Patented Aug. 13,1912.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

O. BIOK.

BOTTLE WASHING AND RINSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.22, 1910.

Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

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BOTTLE WASHING AND RINSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION IILED APB.22, 1910.

1,035,330. Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

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COLUMBIA ILANOORAPH co wAsllmm'oN. D. C

OTTO EICK, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

BOTTLE WASHING AND RINSING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13,1912.

Application filed April 22, 1910. Serial No. 557,067.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Orro EIICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle Washing and Rinsing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention pertains to improvements in bottle-washing and rinsing machines, the construction and advantages of which will be hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the annexed drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine; Fig. 2 an end elevation thereof, certain portions being omitted. Fig. 3 a vertical longitudinal sectional view; Fig. 4 a horizontal sectional view, taken on the line 44 of Figs. 1 and 3. Fig. 5 a top plan view of the gear-box used in conjunction with the spindles; Fig. 6 a longitudinal sectional view, taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 a vertical sectional view of one of the mouthpieces and the co'ciperating brushspindle; and Fig. 8 a vertical detail sectional view of one of the spindles and its allied parts, and illustrating in addition thereto a temporary cover-plate for the gearbox.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple and efficient machine for cleaning and rinsing bottles, the apparatus being such that a single attendant can manipulate the same so long as the crates containing the bottles are fed thereto or placed upon the track or way on which the crates are supported as they are passed through the machine.

In the drawings, 1 denotes the base which, as will be seen upon reference to Fig. 3, is hollow and forms a water-receptacle EX- tending upwardly from the base and rigidly secured thereto are four hollow columns 2, surmounted by a top plate or casting 3. A weight 4 is mounted in each of the columns, a chain passing from the weight over a pulley 5 and thence down to an arm 6, of which there are four, one for each weight, said arms in turn being rigidly connected to a mouth-piece plate 7. Said plate, as will be seen upon reference to Fig. 2, is provided with wings or bearing plates 8 which rest against the columns 2 and serve to guide the mouth piece plate as the same is moved up and down. The normal position of the mouth-piece plate is as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the weights at such time being at rest. The plate 7 is provided with a series of depending hubs 9 (Fig. 7) in each of which is mounted a tubular member 10, carrying at its lower end a stop ring 11 and at its upper end a conical mouth-piece 12. A spring 13 is interposed between the upper face of the mouth-piece plate 7 and the shouldered portion of each conical member 12, so that under normal conditions the tubular member 10 is held in its elevated position.

Projecting outwardly from the left-hand end of the mouth piece plate and secured thereto is a pan-like member 14, the bottom of which is hollow, forming a chamber 15 into which water may be introduced through a suitable pipe or connection, as 16. A series of fixed mouth-pieces 17 is secured in the upper face of the hollow bottom, each of said mouth-pieces being provided with a series of slits or openings 18 in the inclined walls thereof. A similar pan 19 is secured at the right-hand end of the mouthpiece plate, being provided with a hollow bottom 20, into which water may be forced through a pipe or coupling 21. A series of mouth-pieces 22, similar to the mouthpieces 17, is secured in the pan, said mouthpieces communicating with the hollow chamber 20.

The bottle-containing crates or trays are designated by 23 and are supported u on oppositely-disposed tracks 24, 25. "he track 24 has secured to it a pair of guides 26, 27, bearing against the inner face of one pair of columns 2. The track 25 has secured to it suitable guides or members 28, 29, which bear against the opposite pair of columns 2. The tracks, as will be seen upon reference to Fig. 1, extend outwardly beyond the columns at each side of the machine, and are adapted to handle four or more crates, one crate overlying the pan 14, two crates being suspended over the mouthpiece plate 7, while a fourth is held over the pan 19.

Extending lengthwise of the tracks and between the same, over the crates which stand directly above the mouth-piece plate, is a series of bars 30, said bars being alined with the bottoms of the bottles in the crate, see Fig. 2, and supported by cross-bars 3.1, to which they are attached. Said bars 31 in turn are held in position by combined bolts and spacing members 32.

bottles come into contact with the mouthpieces 12, the bottles at such time being raised from their seats in the crates. This action securely holds the bottles between the spring mouth-pieces 12 and the cooperating bars and prevents rotation of the bottles under the action of the brush-spindles, the

construction of which will be hereinafter set forth.

To raise and lower the tracks, the following mechanism is employed: Extending downwardly from each of the tracks is a link or draw-bar 33, each bar in turn be ing connected to an arm or lever 34, said arms being secured to and moving with a rocker-shaft 35. Said shaft is mounted in suitable brackets 36, secured to a fixed por- I tion of the frame of the machine, and be tween said brackets is secured an arm 37 carrying at its outer end a counterweight 38. A two-armed lever 39 is also secured to the rocker-shaft 35, the lower end of said lever being pivotally connected with a slotted cross-head 40 secured upon the outer end of a piston-rod 41. Said rod is connected with a piston 42, which works in a cylinder 43, secured to the bed of the machine. Any suitable motive power may be employed to actuate the piston, but I prefer to use water which may be pumped from the hollow base 1 through a pump 44 into a pipe 45 (Fig. 2) which pipe discharges through a downwardly-extending connection 46 into pipes 47 and 48 leading to the opposite ends of the cylinder. A valve 49 is interposed between the pipes 46, 47 and 48, and serves to control the flow of water from the pipe 46 into one or the other of the pipes .47 and 48, and also permits discharge through a pipe 50 into the hollow base 1, itbeing understood that as the water is forced into one end of the cylinder it is discharged from the other.

The piston-rod 41 is extended to the left and controls a valve working in a valve casing 51, said valve controlling the supply of fresh water which passes from the pipe 52 through the valve, when the same is open, into a pipe 53, which latter discharges into the hollow portion 54 of a gearsupporting box 55. Said gear-box is secured to a fixed portion of the frame, preferably the supporting legs 56 (Fig. 3). The upper face of the gear-box is provided with an upstanding rim 57 which in effect forms a pan to catch the water which will pass down from the bottles while they are being rinsed, a suitable drain 58 being provided to carry off such water.

A countershaft 59 underlies the gear-box, said shaft carrying bevel gears 60 which in turn mesh with similar gears 61, carried at the lower end of two vertically-disposed shafts 62. Each of the shafts 62 has secured to the upper end thereof (see Figs. 5 and 6) a gear 63, said gear meshing with four smaller gears 64, each of which smaller gears in turn meshes with an idler 65, said idler meshing with three small gears 66 similar to the gears 64. Each of the gears 64 and 6G throughoutthe series is secured to a hollow spindle 67, said spindle passing upwardly into the tubular member 10 and carrying at its upper end a suitable brush as 68. The lower ends of the spindles 67 find their bearings in hubs 69 which in turn are supported in openings formed'in the upper face of the gear-box. If desired, the construction shown in Fig. 8 may be employed, wherein the gears are covered by a plate 70, the spindles in this instance being iade in two parts, the lower portion 71 of each spindle being threaded and the upper portion 72 screwing thereon, a suitable washer 7 3 being interposed between the plate and the upper portion 72 of the spindle.

Motion is imparted to shaft 59 fro-1n a cross-shaft 74, suitable gearing being interposed between the shafts and rotation being imparted to the shaft 74 through a belt 75 which receives its power from an electric motor 7 6, or other suitable source, which motor is mountedupon the top plate 3 of the machine. A belt 77 also receives its motion from the motor to drive the pump 44. Mounted upon the top plate 3 is a cylinder 78, see Fig. 3, in which is mounted ,a piston 79, that actuates a piston-rod 80, carrying at its outer end a depending hook-shaped member 81. To the lower end of the member 81 is pivotally attached a pawl 82 which is free to swing in one direction but locked against movement in the other direction. This pawl, when in its vertical position, stands in line with the crates and serves, as the piston, the piston-rod and the member 81 are moved in one direction, to advance the crates along the tracks. As the piston is moved in the opposite direction the pawl rocks upon its pivot and passes over the crate.

To effect a movement of the piston water-pressure is preferably employed and a branch pipe 83 extends from the main supply pipe 45, the pipe being provided with a hand-valve 84 which controls the flow of water through pipes 85 and 86 which lead to the opposite ends of the cylinder 78. The valve 84 is of a type which will admit pres sure into one end of the cylinder while permitting the opposite end of the cylinder to be drained, the drainage water passing around the valve and down through a pipe 87 to the hollow base or reservoir 1. The valve 84L, as will be seen upon reference to Figs. 1 and 2, stands adjacent to a handle 88, carried at the upper end of a rod 89, which through suitable gearing is connected with the valve 49. Thus the attendant has both the valve-handles within easy reach and can, through the manipulation of the same, raise and lower the tracks with the crates thereon, and when the tracks have been elevated so as to clear the bottles of the mouth-pieces and spindles advance the trays through the machine.

Each of the rinsing chambers 15 and 20 is provided with a drain pipe which opens into the pan thereof, the pipe being designated by 90, the lower end of which telescopes into a fixed pipe 91, terminating in a hollow base or chamber 1.

In the operation of the machine the crates or trays containing the bottles are placed upon the tracks 24 and 25 and are caused to move along the same under the action of the pawl or detent 82, as the arm or hookshaped member 81. which carries the same is drawn inwardly under the action of the piston 79. When the crates have been properly positioned upon the tracks, or when the mouths of the bottles (which stand in an inverted position) are directly over the mouth-pieces, the operator, through the manipulation of the valve 49, causes the track with the crates thereon to be drawn downwardly, the bottles coming into contact with the mouth-pieces, and the mouthpiece plate likewise moving downwardly, by reason of the contact of the bottles therewith. This downward movement of the mouth-piece plate will cause the spindles to pass through said mouth-pieces and up into the bottles. The bottles which are in the central crate, or that positioned over the mouth-piece plate 7, will be forced upwardly against the bars 30 and thus held against rotation, which would otherwise take place during the action of the rotary brushes carried by the spindles. The bottles in the other crates, or those at the right and left hand ends of the tracks, cooperate with the mouth-pieces 17 and 22, respectively, and inasmuch as there are no brushes to act upon such bottles it is not necessary that they be held against rotation; consequently no bars such as 30 overlie the same.

The water which passes into the various bottles will be caught by the pans above referred to and carried back to the hollow chamber 1, or to any other desired point. The parts may be held in this position as long as necessary and when the bottles have been sufficiently cleansed the operator, by

manipulating the valve 49, permits the water to discharge from the right-hand end of the cylinder 13, which allows the parts to assume the positions shown in Fig. 3. The mouth-piece plate will, under the action of the counter-weights, ascend with the bottles and the tracks until the counterweights come to rest, the tracks continuing their upward movement until the mouths of the bottles are fully clear of the mouth-piece plate, after which the crates may be advanced along the track by the manipulation of the advancing mechanism, comprising the cylinder 78, piston 79, rod 80, hook-shaped member or arm 81 and pawl or detent 82.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a bottle-washing machine, the combination of a yieldingly-supported mouthpiece plate; a series of mouth-pieces carried thereby, said mouth-piece plate being normally held in an elevated position; apair of tracks adapted to receive a plurality of crates said tracks being supported independently of the mouth-piece plate; means for lowering said tracks with the crates thereon and thereby bringing the mouths of the bottles into contact with the mouth-pieces; and means for subjecting the interior of the bottles thus positioned to the cleansing action of water or other suitable liquid.

2. In an apparatus for washing bottles, the combination of a yieldingly sustained mouth-piece plate; a series of springpressed mouth-pieces carried by the central portion thereof; a series of brush-spindles standing in line with the mouth-pieces and adapted to pass therethrough; a series of mouth-pieces carried upon the outer portion of each end of the mouth-piece plate; a pair of tracks mounted above the mouth-piece plate, said tracks being coextensive with said plate and the various mouth-pieces carried thereby; means for raising and lowering said tracks with the bottle-carrying crates thereon; and means for projecting water through the brush-spindles and mouth-pieces carried by the outer ends of the mouth-piece plate.

3. In a machine for washing bottles, the combination of a base; a plurality of columns secured to said base and extending upwardly therefrom; counterweights mounted in said columns; a mouth-piece plate connected to said weights; a plurality of mouthpieces carried by said plate; a pair of tracks located above the plate and supported independently thereof, said tracks being adapted to support a plurality of bottle-carrying crates; and means for drawing said tracks downwardly toward the mouthpiece plate and causing the bottles carried by the crates to contact with the mouth-pieces and to force the mouth-piece plate downwardly during the latter portion of the downward movement of the tracks.

4. In a machine for washing bottles, the combination vof a base; a serles of hollow columns secured to the base andextending thereby; a weight mounted in each of said columns; connections between said weights and the mouth-piece plate; a plurality of mouth-pieces carried by the mouth-piece plate; a pair of tracks mounted between the columns and guided thereby said tracks be 'ing supported independently of the mouth piece plate; and means under the control of the operator for lowering and raising said tracks, the mouths of the bottles as the same are lowered coming in contact with the mouth-pieces and serving to depress said mouth-pieces and the mouth-piece plate during the latter portion of the downward movement'of said tracks.

5. In a machine for washing bottles, the combination of a base; a plurality of col- I umns extending upwardly therefrom; a

mouth-piece plate mounted between said columns and guided thereby; counterweights serving to hold the mouth-piece plate in its elevated position; a pair of tracks extending between the columns above the mouth-piece plate and supported independently of the:

mouth-piece plate; means under the control of the operator for raising and lowering said tracks and the bottle-crates carried thereby and causing the bottles to contact with the mouth-pieces upon the mouth-piece plate to depress the same; and a series of rotatable spindle brushes extending in line with the mouth-pieces and adapted to pass therethrough as the mouth-piece plate is lowered.

6. In a machine for washing bottles, the combination of a base; a series of columns extending upwardly therefrom; a mouthpiece plate mounted between said columns and guided thereby; means for normally holding said plate in its elevated position; a series of rotatable spindle-brushes mounted in line with the mouth-pieces carried by the plate and adapted to pass through the mouth-pieces when the plate is lowered; a pair of tracks mounted above the mouthpiece plate and adapted to support bottleholding crates; means for raising and loweringsaid tracks independently of the mouthpiece plate, said means causing the bottles,

as the tracks are lowered, to contact with the mouth-pieces and to depress the mouth-piece plate so that the spindle-brushes will pass into the bottles; and means for advancing the crates along the tracks when the tracks are in their elevated position.

7 In a bottle-washing machine, the combination of a base; a plurality of columns extending upwardlyv therefrom; countersupport a bottle-crate; a cylinder; a piston mounted in said cylinder; a piston-rod extending outwardly from said piston; a rocker- -sha-ft; a connection between said rocker-shaft and the piston-rod; a pair of counterweighted arms secured'to said rockershaft; a pair of arms secured to said rockershaftand extending outwardly therefrom in adirection opposite to that of the counterweighted arms; and a' link secured to the outer end of each of said arms, said links being connected to the tracks and adapted to move the same upwardly and downwardly according :to the movement of the piston in the cylinder.

8. In a bottle-washing machine, the combination of a base; a plurality of columns extending upwardly therefrom; a track or way mounted between said columns and adapted to support a plurality of bottle holding crates; a cylinder; a piston mounted in said cylinder; a piston-rod; an arm secured to the outer end of said piston-rod, extending downwardly to a point in line with the tracks; and a pawl or detent carried by the outer end of the arm and adapted tocontaot with the crates when moved in one direction to advance the same along the tracks and to rock and pass over the crates when moved in the opposite direction.

9. In a bottle-washing machine, the combination of a base; a plurality of columns extending upwardly therefrom; a track or way mounted between said columns and adapted to support a plurality of bottleholding crates; a cylinder; a piston mounted in said cylinder; a piston-rod; an arm secured to the outer end of said piston-rod, extending downwardly to a point in line with the tracks; a pawl or detent carried by the outer end of the arm and adapted to contact with the crates when moved in one direction to advance the same along the tracks and to rock and pass over the crates when moved in the opposite direction; and means under the control of the operator for admitting fluid to one end of said cylinder as it is permitted to pass out of the opposite end, and vice versa.

10. In a bottlewashing machine, the combination of a hollow base adapted to receive water or other fluid; a plurality of columns extending upwardly therefrom; a top plat-e carried by the columns; tracks or ways mounted between the columns; a cylinder carried on the top plate; a piston working therein; a piston-rod; an arm secured to the piston -rod and extending downwardly in line With the tracks; a pawl or detent carried at the outer end of said arm and adapted to contact, When moved in one direction, with the bottle carrying crates mounted upon the tracks; pipes leading to the opposite ends of the cylinder; a valve controlling the flow of fluid through said pipes; and a pump for forcing fluid into the pipes from 10 the hollow base.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

OTTO EICK.

Witnesses:

HY. OoHs, AUG. I-I. JosTEs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

